His eyes were full of warmth.
"I'm a mess, I know." She shook her head. "I had to ruin it."
"Ruin what?" He reached out and helped her move her legs so they were draped across his lap. "Things don't always go the way we want them to."
She leaned in, laying her cheek near his shoulder.
"I still feel like I'm an idiot." She sighed. "It's like my body didn't get the plot."
He laughed and she felt his laughter against her side and shoulder. "Actually, I think it's fascinating."
She leaned back and looked up at him with her eyes narrowed. "What?"
"Fascinating." He nodded. "I wonder where else you're that ticklish?"
She rolled her eyes and smiled when she heard his chuckle. "Oh, I'm glad you think it's funny."
"Funny in 'that's interesting.' Yes. Not funny 'I'm laughing at you.'"
She wanted to lean into this man. Not just his wonderful, broad-shouldered bulk, but all of the warmth of his personality and the strength that she felt when she was near him.
"And here I was thinking I could be... not necessarily sexy, but at least I'd give it a try."
Nick wrapped his arms around her, and she felt him put a kiss on her head. "All you have to do to be sexy is breathe, honey."
She felt another kiss touch the top of her head.
"Maybe..."
She felt a gentle weight on the top of her head and as she looked across the room at the big flat-screen TV on the wall, she could see him leaning his cheek on her head.
"We should just sit here for a little while and look at the stars?"
Ruth let out a breath and snuggled closer. "Can we just stay inside? I don't feel like going outside right now."
She felt him drape an arm around her and hold her closer.
"We don't need to go outside to see the stars."
The tone of his voice was so sure that she didn't want to question it.
She just answered him with a soft sigh and, "As long as I don't have to move... I'll leave it up to you."
He chuckled and she felt his laughter as a warm hug. "Oh ye of little faith."
Nick shifted a little behind her and a moment later she felt something incredibly soft drape over her legs.
It was a blanket that was unbelievably soft. Almost like rabbit fur, but shorter, like one of those fancy weighted blankets. It had the same effect.
Ruth rubbed her palms gently against the fabric and watched as Nick took out his phone. With a few quick brushes of his fingertips across the screen, the TV across the room lit up and instead of Netflix or Prime Video, the screen changed to a dark expanse of stars.
A few taps on the screen later the lights in the room around them were all but extinguished.
That's when she heard the sounds coming from all around them.
"Nick, what is this?"
She tilted her head to listen again, closing her eyes to search out the sounds with just her ears.
